Iron Manger:
Dog Soldiers II cannot make the 54 fight minimum, having missed 2 turns, Pompous
Paladins and Caress of Steel have missed 5 fights, everyone else has the full 15!
Two more turns until the first four RUs are awarded, then turns 6-10 will yield
the next four RUs!
Nobody has used a DA fight as of yet, though if you're like me, you're hoping
one of your guys would die (and in my case that would allow me to freely kill the
other one I want dead).

Street Legal

+ ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Black Sword #1 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +

Near Jhans:

Barudai was not in a position to look across the river at Jhans. He was on the
other side of the hill, and near the bottom. He did not want to see Jhans, and even
more, he did not want anybody from Jhans to see him. The Rirorni considered himself
a scout, but he knew that many people--from Jhans--might well call him a spy. And
nobody like spies much. They probably wouldn't believe him if he said that his...
scouting had no object that was hostile to Jhans. He wouldn't have believed it in
their place, even though he knew that this time it was the truth. In fact, if he got
his information back to the gathering of shamans near Rocanis in time for them to
act, his mission would be of great benefit to Jhans and all southern Alastari.
That prospect was not as comforting as he had hoped. He still had to get back

TEAM SPOTLIGHT (continued)

to Rocanis, after all, and the renegade's men were hunting him.
He studied as much of the sky as he could see from his shelter under an
overhanging rock. Definitely a storm coming, and not a little one, either. This
would be the kind of storm that menaced the life of anyone fool enough to be out in
it. Hail like fists. Floods of rain. Lightning like the end of the world. He
tried to back farther into his inadequate shelter, but his horse was behind him--not
a foolish beast!--pressed against the slanting stone. Still, when he wasn't moving,
he was leaving no tracks, and the renegade's men would have to take shelter somewhere
also--or die under the flail of the storm.
The clouds covered the sky, blocking stars and moon, but lightning shredded the
darkness. The rain held off. To Barudai, that meant that when the waters finally
came, they would be devastating. Every little fold of the plain would be a roaring
stream. Flat lands would be lakes. Travel would be impossible, tonight and for days
to come.
The last was an uneasy thought. The renegade's men could have magical aids;
there were shamans in his camp, too. He had glimpsed a feather cloak in one tent,
and that meant flying. A man could fly above the waters. Where as he, Barudai, had
only his own two feet, and his horse.
Movement caught his eye, and he stared out anxiously. If one of the renegade's
assassins found him here-- His sword was in his hand as he searched for an attacker.
There!
Wheeling below the clouds, dodging the lightning, bird-shaped but without a
bird's grace. Impossible to judge size against the sky, but he thought it was too
big for any mortal bird. Trust the renegade to inspire men to dare even such a
storm! The flying figure circled again and aimed toward the hill, that much Barudai
could see. And it was getting larger, which meant lower.
The clouds burst like a ruptured waterskin, cutting visibility to nothing. Even
a true bird would have trouble flying in that...wouldn't it? Yes, of course. There
was as much water as air in the sky now, it was hard to breathe. Flying must be
impossible. If the flyer crashed to the ground, all would be well. But if it
managed to land....
He stared at the blind wall of falling water. Sometimes it turned bright white
with lightning, other times it was black. Nothing was visible beyond it. Nothing to
do but wait. He hated waiting.
The ground trembled under his feet, and his horse screamed, barely audible over
the storm. The animal's warmth was gone from behind him, replaced by a cold wind.
Turning slowly, shaking with cold and fear, Barudai stared into a tunnel where
there had been solid rock before. It was not completely dark, though the light was
faint, without color or visible source. Unfamiliar symbols crawled on walls as
smooth as glass, colored purple, and poison green, and red as blood.
In the depth of the tunnel, shadows moved.

Rocanis:

It was a clear day when they stepped through the Gate, unusual for this early in
the spring. Ghost Dancer sat down immediately and began to rummage in his pack for
food and drink.
"Leave it," Wolf said. "We'll eat in Rocanis, and we may need our travel-fare
later."
Ghost Dancer considered protesting that he was hungry NOW and could always buy
more jerked meat and dried fruit down in Rocanis, but the old shaman didn't look like
a man prepared to tolerate argument right now. Wolf didn't look like a man prepared
to yield to the needs of the flesh for any reason right now. Didn't HE ever get
hungry and thirsty? Ghost Dancer sighed and closed his pack, stood, and followed the
old man down the trail toward Rocanis.
Although it was hard to believe Wolf was old, even with his white hair. The
shaman was setting a hard pace, and he seemed as tireless as the wind. It made Ghost
Dancer aware that he had become somewhat soft while living on the Isle. True, he had
sparred every day, and with warriors better than he was, but this kind of endurance
test had not been part of his life in years. It was the boast of the Maengedai that
when raiding, they could go forty or fifty miles a day on their own feet. He
couldn't do that today. Still, the man--or demon--that they were pursuing couldn't

TEAM SPOTLIGHT (continued)

be up for such a long run, either. And he (Master Darque) was barred from using the
Spirit Land as a shortcut just as Wolf and himself now were.
They walked in silence for several minutes, picking a careful way down the slope
from Spirit Ridge. Ghost Dancer studied the town below, a frown taking shape on his
face. "Aren't there a lot more tents than usual down there?"
"Yes." Wolf's voice was hard, angry. "And more of them than should be are
flying shaman's ribbons."
"A council?" There hadn't been a shaman's council for ten, maybe fifteen years,
maybe twenty. Not since sometime around the Rirorni War. It took something dire to
draw shamans from all the tribes into a meeting; without the use of the Spirit Land,
some of them would have to travel for months to get back to their tribes. "What
could have spawned this?"
"Something bad." Wolf snorted. "Something that anyone who paid attention would
have KNOWN was coming, but most of them would rather hide their heads under their
blankets and hope it would go away."
Knowing his tutor, Ghost Dancer figured this meant that Wolf had warned them of
some impending danger and been ignored. He searched his own memory. If Wolf had
mentioned a danger to him, and he'd forgotten about it...but he couldn't recall any
such warning. "What is the danger?"
"Have you heard of the Black Swords of Mytori?"
"Just a bare mention," Ghost Dancer admitted. "Not even the legends have
anything about them." He considered what he knew of the cult of Mytori Iron-Hand and
winced. Any sword "blessed" by Mytori would be very bad news indeed. "What about
your pursuit of Master Darque and the sigil?"
The old shaman's hands clenched and unclenched. When he answered, it sounded
like he was talking through teeth that were also clenched. "It will have to wait. I
swore an oath to serve the Maengedai, and I cannot in good conscience ignore the
danger of a Black Sword."

DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.

Greetings,

Well the Useless Tools did indeed sit out this turn, so I was able to slip by them
and take Ron's place as Duelmaster. I have managed to actually accumulate a decent
record for a 'ripper'. Unfortunately now that I am Duelmaster, I will be getting my
invite any turn now. This turn in fact, if I can manage to win. It seems our team
is starting to close the gap on those Steel Rain chaps. Although who knows how long
we can continue to post positive results. We have already had three replacements
that we have been forced to throw out there on the sands without using the Dark Arena
and if I do manage to get my invite we will have had four new warriors in the first
five turns of this contest. So much for Rillion's careful planning and stacking the
team with five good warriors! Soon we will have four scrubs and one mediocre warrior
(Hermoine). Hopefully they can get some luck and get match ups they can win and
Rillion's cruddy management style will work for his cruddy warriors.

In memoriam,

Fred Weasley

SPY REPORT

The sages err'd not in their foretelling of a god descending upon TROCAR, for I,
Novgorodny Vir, have returned! STEEL REIGN? Who? GRYFFINDOR HOUSE2 is the top team
these days, buddies! Those betting on OF WOLF AND MAN lost their shirt, as OF WOLF
AND MAN lost their fighting abilities: 2-3-0. What's a move up by 6 you ask?
(alright, maybe you didn't ask) Cause for celebration, according to SEA DOGS. Good
things come to those who fight well, as CARESS OF STEEL can attest, moving up by 0.
STEEL REIGN had cause to celebrate, after SOLID GONE got 28 points by beating GHOLAM.

SPY REPORT (continued)

A certain someone should cut down on the drinking and practice more, after losing 11
points to GURTARGAN MONK. (Discrete enough, WASTELANDER?) Those who hoped for a new
Duelmaster were disappointed by VIKING RAIDER, of SPARF!, who despite a 3-1-0
couldn't overcome TROCAR's Number 1. So who was the warrior seen charging into
immovable walls and challenging dead trees? Someone's got a basic problem...
So much to report, so little time! To quell some nasty rumors, the guys in DARK
PENTAGRAM are not carrying any incurable diseases. No need to avoid 'em. As a woman
of good breeding scorns the "warriors" of DARK PENTAGRAM, so did that sorry team shy
from DARK PENTAGRAM
Ah, the duel! The roar of the oppenent, the smell of the crowd! Death (in the
form of SOLID GONE of STEEL REIGN) knocked on GHOLAM's door. What will DARK
PENTAGRAM do? The suspense is killing me. Charity is unknown in TROCAR, and rightly
so. SEA DOGS exacted their revenge against POMPOUS PALADINS. Ask not a spymaster
for counsel, for he will pontificate long after you have fallen into an unconscious
stupor.
Leave me now, you base fools! My fingers tire and I fear my incessant prattling
may cause unfair judgement upon my impeccable character. Can anything compare to the
pleasure of writing Spyreports for TROCAR? On that giddy note I take my leave--
Novgorodny Vir

Nickleback -- I am the fourth of the original five warriors on this team to graduate.
The others are my best friend Harry Potter, my other friend, the original Neville,
and my prat of a brother Percy Weasley. The only one not to graduate is Oliver Wood,
who is the reason this team has entered this contest. We hope that we might be able
to win this thing and bring him back, giving him one more opportunity to graduate (he
would need seven wins and all the Political Points). -- Ron Weasley of Gryffindor
House2

All -- My turns are not getting in on time, so if my personals are a bit late, sorry.
I write some every turn so I should be able to get some PA points. -- Blackstorm

Doomrunner -- Hey buddy, how's it going? Guess what? The Dark Arena is recruiting
new personnel. So why not see if you got what it takes? I even signed you up for an
interview. -- Blackstorm

Ron Weasley -- Are you sure you're a TP? You definitely don't fight like one. My
manager had what he thought was an offensive TP go to AD but he didn't smack one of
my skill around as you did. Good luck in AD. -- Battleblade

Viking Raider -- Now that is something else! How many sandbugs was that? 15-20 or
more? -- Chaos Warrior

Higher -- I have got to get more gas (burp). -- Krymsyn
P.S. Cool weapon selection.

Wimperetta -- Hi there. I was real glad to see you again, even though it didn't seem
so. I've still got the clues. -- Wastelander

Maybe not clues. The typist rendered that as cloes, so it might be something
else entirely. -- Ed.

Ventura -- Hey, you are good. Nice to see a good one of your style. Good luck. --
Doomrunner

Rillion -- So noted, my manager would do the same. But, being as how we're in a
contest with no bloodfeuding.... (sparks fly as a blade is put to the sharpening
stone) -- Solid Gone

Baphomet -- Welcome to the challenge, however with your late start and all your other
stuff apparently going on, you'll need some luck along with the requisite skill.
Good luck anyway! -- Stik

Blackstorm -- Welcome to you as well, more fresh meat! -- Stik

Woods -- That was a driver I had tied to the end of my quarterstaff! FORE!!! --
Venturia, still undefeated

Anime -- Nice fight, the way it should be! With me winning, of course! -- Wrenn

Eye of the Storm -- Huh, that kill was extremely unexpected. Even though this
contest rewards killing, I had not bothered to change my general strategy to try to
kill anyone. I expect the kill had more to do with a combination of a low fortitude
and a spot of bad luck. Fortunately with my departure you will not be tempted to try
to bloodfeud, which would have disqualified your team from the contest. -- Ron
Weasley

Warrior-Mage -- I find you lacking both as a warrior and as a mage. -- Fred Weasley

Darkseid -- You should be so dead! -- Neville

Wasp -- You have a very annoying sting. -- Phoenix

Sir Loin of Beef -- That is certainly a wicked cut. -- Hermoine

All -- Humph! We show up for fights five minutes late and G.C. will not let us even
get matchup with Trocaran Deserter! -- Heyoka, spokesman for Dog Soldiers

Street Legal -- D'ya think ya could list the managers' name with their team? That
way I'll know whose nose to rub in the dirt when my warriors win. (grin) -- Baphomet,
mgr. Dog Soldiers

Trocar Tribute Teams -- Hammer is so busy that he has NOT even taken the time to
read the DM 54 newsletter packet that arrived overseas last week! -- HONOR RICH
HAMMER
P.S. Check out the DM 47 newsletter online to find out why Hammer has been so busy!
[By reading Swamp Scribbling by Hammer the WordSmith]

Penelothe -- Exciting fight. Thanks for the skills and you're welcome for the mirror
imaged learns! -- System of a Dawn

4 August 2005
Ladies and Gentlemen...The Announcement You Have All Been Waiting For Is Here!!!!!!!!

ZalCon3...The Rebirth!!!!!!!

The Rules Are Simple, The Prizes Are Awesome, The Competition Fierce!

Where: Dullens (DM13) When: October 8th, 2005

The Rules:
Every Manager Must DA Their Entire Team On The First Turn They Enter The Contest.
All Warriors DA'd In This Manner MUST Be At Zero FE And May Fight In The Contest If
They Live. The Style Of The Warrior Must Be Present In The Name In A Non Ambiguous
Manner, Standard Abbreviations Accepted. Scoring Starts On The 3rd Turn Of The
Contest Which Will Also Be The First Turn After The October Mail In. Dead Warriors
May Be Entered From The Contest To Dead Apprentices ONLY--And With Zero FE!!!!! All
Living Warriors May Be Entered Into Rookies or Apprentices For The October Mail In.

Scoring:

PERSONAL ADS (continued)

1 Point For Each Win.
1 Point For Each Kill.
-1 Point For Each Loss.
-1 Point For Each Death.

Categories:
Ultimate Style Master: Warrior Of Any Style With The Most Style Master Points.
Top Team: Team With The Most Points At The End Of The Contest.
Top Warrior: Warrior With The Most Points At The End Of The Contest.
MVP Team: Team With The Most Free Fight Awards At The End Of The Contest.
MVP Warrior: Warrior With The Most Free Fight Awards At The End Of The Contest.
Style Master: Warrior With The Most Points Vs. Style In Each Style At The End Of The
Contest.
Warrior Top 11: Next 10 Top Point Gaining Warriors At The End Of The Contest.
Iron Manager: Any Manager With 100 Fights During The Contest (20 Turns Plus 2 Pre
Turns).
***Special Category*** An Additional Top Team Award Will Be Granted For Each 5 Iron
Manager Awards Starting At 6.

The overall popularity leader is HAVELOCK THE DANE 2614. The most popular warrior
this turn was SIR CASWALLAWN 2617. The ten other most popular fighters were SIR LOIN
OF BEEF 2618, JAWS 2788, HAVELOCK THE DANE 2614, ENVI 2786, SWASHBUCKLER 2743, VIRET
2727, CUB 2774, NEVER DIE 2756, WASP 2761, and NICKLEBACK 2815.

The warriors of Caress of Steel went 5-0 and we couldn't be happier. This will make it my first in all the time I have played this game. One more good turn should put us in the running for sure.

Maximillian (still smilin')

Your first! congrats!

It is hard for us to believe that this is the first 5-0 for you as well as you compete.

Thank you for the kind words, after many hundreds of battles we finally did it, so many times we've come close. Never thought of myself as a good competitor, just able to keep my head above the waterline.
Although we have enjoyed very much matching against Consortium warriors in the past. We used to have some good battles in Arkers a few years ago, eh!

Maximillian

_________________Maximillian, DJI

"Only the dead have seen the end of war."- Plato

TripwireDuelGrandmaster Poster

Joined: Jul 18, 2005
Posts: 939

Posted:
Sat Aug 27, 2005 2:46 pm

IF these teams got thier personal ads in (I didn't check and just gave them the +1) The top 4 should look like this:

IF these teams got thier personal ads in (I didn't check and just gave them the +1) The top 4 should look like this:

Gryffindor House2 - 10
Steel Reign - 9
Janix - 8
Of Wolf and Man - 8

I think you're right, damnit. I had my eye on those turn 4 leader prizes the Consortium has on the table (I believe??). I went 2-3-1 but my weakest link got himself wasted, too, so I had a push basically. AArgh!! Dang you, Rillion, Dang you to heck!!

Joined: Nov 23, 2002
Posts: 8976
Location: on the golf course, in the garden, reading, traveling, and now Consulting

Posted:
Sat Aug 27, 2005 7:31 pm

Maximillian wrote:

The Consortium wrote:

Maximillian wrote:

The warriors of Caress of Steel went 5-0 and we couldn't be happier. This will make it my first in all the time I have played this game. One more good turn should put us in the running for sure.

Maximillian (still smilin')

Your first! congrats!

It is hard for us to believe that this is the first 5-0 for you as well as you compete.

Thank you for the kind words, after many hundreds of battles we finally did it, so many times we've come close. Never thought of myself as a good competitor, just able to keep my head above the waterline.
Although we have enjoyed very much matching against Consortium warriors in the past. We used to have some good battles in Arkers a few years ago, eh!

Still got a shot Stik. They're awarded turn 1-5 then turn 6-10, cumulatively. So you've got 1 turn to fire up and pass GryffindorHouse2. And with a tie it's the highest scoring most recent round that pulls the tie breaker (I think that's the way Wayne wanted it done), with kills being the most recent kill at the end).

See y'all I had a feeling a shakeup was on the way and voila! I think I may just have to give in and throw that DA out there because scoring 0 points 2 turns in a row is not cutting it!

_________________A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.

Still got a shot Stik. They're awarded turn 1-5 then turn 6-10, cumulatively. So you've got 1 turn to fire up and pass GryffindorHouse2. And with a tie it's the highest scoring most recent round that pulls the tie breaker (I think that's the way Wayne wanted it done), with kills being the most recent kill at the end).

See y'all I had a feeling a shakeup was on the way and voila! I think I may just have to give in and throw that DA out there because scoring 0 points 2 turns in a row is not cutting it!

Sweet. What were the prizes for those again? Can't remember off-hand, wasn't it like 5 team sheets or something? Too lazy to dig'em up, I've got to get back to staining my deck...fun.

I've gotten in the habit of sending in two sets of personal ads each turn, that way I've got double the chances of at least one PA making it in to qualify.

I'm amazed my team continues to do so well. I really thought I was hosed after the first turn's 1-4 (2-3? can't remember exactly) with two really good warriors dying and getting really average replacements. Now I'll have another replacement coming for Fred.

But this contest is definately interesting and we are seeing that there can be fairly large swings in the score. I doubt anyone will pull away and this will all likely come down to the final turn with several teams still having a shot at it.

Street_LegalArchMaster Poster

Joined: Jul 29, 2002
Posts: 3468
Location: The Big D (etroit) area

Posted:
Mon Aug 29, 2005 1:00 pm

4 team sheets each for:

turn 1-5 score
turn 6-10 score (total of these turns, after 5 we start at 0 for these)
most kills

for a total of 12 RUs!

_________________A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.